Bioshock 2 - Xbox 360https://www.gameinformer.com/games/bioshock_2/b/xbox360/atom.aspxCommunity Server2009-12-21T11:00:00ZIn The Return Trip, Rapture Loses Some Luster/games/bioshock_2/b/xbox360/archive/2010/02/08/review.aspx2010-02-08T17:20:00Z2010-02-08T17:20:00Z<p><img src="http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.19.50/8726.BioShock-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>I no longer feel like a tourist in Rapture. Once wondrous and foreboding, this underwater society now has the familiarity of a local shopping mall. Audio recordings of Andrew Ryan detail the need for rational selfishness in a controlled world, Big Daddies moan dejectedly in every corridor, and the biggest decision we are faced with is to save or harvest a Little Sister. For roughly 10 hours, BioShock 2 follows directly in its forefather&rsquo;s footsteps, too fearful to inject anything new into this twisted world.</p>
<p>The developer&rsquo;s stubbornness to not veer off of the beaten path clashes with the game&rsquo;s premise. In this installment, players assume the role of the first Big Daddy. Had the game not made this abundantly clear within the introductory cutscene, I would have thought I was playing as a character similar to the original game&rsquo;s protagonist. Because the Big Daddy&rsquo;s suit appears to be made of cotton, splicers pose just as great of a threat to your Big Daddy as they did to BioShock&rsquo;s human lead. Shouldn&rsquo;t I be just as big of a threat as the other Big Daddies in the world? Apparently not. </p>
<p>This inconsistency in BioShock&rsquo;s lore stretches into the realm of the absurd when your Big Daddy&rsquo;s drill is in play. Yes, this violent device turns splicers into satisfying smears, but it guzzles gas faster than a Hummer. After just a few uses, it runs out of fuel. When this happens, its role is demoted to that of a whacking tool&hellip;like a wrench.</p>
<p>With writer/director Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games not returning for this sequel, 2K Marin (and four additional development teams) took on the task of continuing the BioShock franchise. For the majority of this experience, these developers seem to be spinning their creative wheels, and the tiny bits of new content feel tacked on. The Big Sister is the most noticeable mistake. Early in the adventure, her role seems to be similar to Resident Evil&rsquo;s Nemesis &ndash; dropping in unannounced to wreak havoc. Her combat prowess dwarfs yours to a degree that you immediately think, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never be able to take her down.&rdquo; As imposing as she is initially, you end up defeating her within the first hour of play. As the game progresses, her class type becomes a reoccurring boss (usually confronting you at the end of each level). Given the potential she exhibits in the first hour of the game, I&rsquo;ll never understand why 2K Marin opted to change her from a unique antagonist (the original plan and reason why the game was delayed) to a faceless enemy type.</p>
<p>Another odd addition is the hack tool. Remember how tricky it could be to navigate rooms with cameras and turrets? With the hack tool, which fires just like a gun, you can take control of stationary targets from a safe distance. Why even have them in the game if you are going to demote their role to being mild nuisances? Would a Big Daddy really use the stealthy approach? When I played as the Big Daddy in the first BioShock, I thought it was an underdeveloped section of the game. I get the same feeling from BioShock 2.</p>
<p>Eventually this disappointing adventure does turn a corner. It takes 10 hours to get there, but the final two acts (lasting approximately three hours) are brilliant. One plot twist in particular shows you a side of this world that you never thought you&rsquo;d see. Don&rsquo;t worry, it isn&rsquo;t a spin on &ldquo;would you kindly.&rdquo; It comes out of nowhere and helps this game find unique footing. The twist gives reason to plow through the rest of the game, and rewards players with a fantastic conclusion.</p>
<p>This crucial turning point also brings on new gameplay dynamics. When your plasmids are leveled to the max, when the final weapon is obtained, and when your Big Daddy finally realizes he can run fast, the Adam hits the fan. You become a cold-blooded murderer capable of downing multiple splicers, Big Daddies, and Big Sisters in one fight. The pacing gets a welcome shot of urgency, and you finally feel like&hellip;well&hellip;a Big Daddy.</p>
<p>When this game recognizes its true potential, it shines. It&rsquo;s just a shame that it wanders misguidedly for so long. The first 10 hours are not bad or forgettable, they just don&rsquo;t branch out from the safe confines of the first BioShock. The controls are just as tight as they are in the first game, and the explosive plasmid play once again makes brutality against splicer nation an undeniable blast. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of this game&rsquo;s multiplayer component. I love that it has a deep leveling and reward system, but the weapon functionally doesn&rsquo;t feel right, and limiting plasmids to just two per loadout limits the strategies you can concoct on the fly. Using Little Sisters, who are kicking and screaming the entire time, as alternatives to flags is an ingenious move, but outside of this laugh, most of my time with multiplayer was spent complaining about the gunplay and map designs. If you can live with these faults (which I could never do), reaching the level 40 cap will take a significant amount of time.</p>
<p>If your interest lies solely with the single-player experience &ndash; and let&rsquo;s be frank, this is why we counted down the days until BioShock 2&rsquo;s release &ndash; I walked away from it pleased, but also unfulfilled. BioShock 2 eventually becomes the sequel I hoped for, but spends too much time getting there.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=199894" width="1" height="1">GIReinerhttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIReiner/default.aspxBioShock 2: Pauper's Drop, Siren Alley Impressions/games/bioshock_2/b/xbox360/archive/2010/01/11/preview.aspx2010-01-11T17:00:00Z2010-01-11T17:00:00Z<div class="paginated-post" rel="2"><div class="paginated-post-page" rel="1"><p><img src="http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.19.50/2538.machine-gun-to-face.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>In our <a target="_blank" href="http://gameinformer.com/games/bioshock_2/b/xbox360/archive/2009/12/21/bioshock-2-hands-on-impressions-single-and-multiplayer.aspx?PageIndex=5">last hands-on preview </a>we served as your guide through the first few hours of BioShock 2. With only a few weeks remaining until launch, we provide the final details of our hands-on time before the game hits shores. During our last episode, Delta was tasked with finding the Incinerate Plasmid in Ryan Amusements to melt a wall of ice blocking the path needed to progress. As soon as Delta incinerated the frozen bulkhead door, we hopped in a train car and continued on our journey to find Eleanor. </p>
<p>As soon as we hit full speed, there was news from Lamb that all rail commutes had been suspended, bringing our train car to a screeching halt and leaving us in Pauper&rsquo;s Drop. This is about as lucky as your car breaking down in a sketchy neighborhood &ndash; one look at this environment and it becomes clear you&rsquo;re in trouble. Pauper&rsquo;s Drop has been trashed by its genetically mutated residents. Dilapidated structures reveal planks that allow you to traverse higher parts of the level in order to escape the madness on the main floor. Fires started by wild Splicers shine a light on Sofia Lamb posters plastered all over the walls, a woman they hold in high regard. She spoke to the residents on the radio, or as she calls them the &ldquo;Rapture Family,&rdquo; and turned them against our Big Daddy. Must. Escape. </p>
<p>In Pauper&rsquo;s Drop we&rsquo;re introduced to a new character, Grace Holloway, an ex-jazz singer blacklisted during Ryan&rsquo;s reign for singing a song against him. We find that Ms. Holloway is responsible for the rail suspension. Our overarching goal is to fight our way through hordes of Splicers to find her and retrieve the override key. It&rsquo;s not going to be easy as we discover Holloway has an impenetrable grudge against Delta, and has no problem sending Rapture&rsquo;s most savage fiend to finish off our Big Daddy: the Brute Splicer.</p>
<p><a href="http://gameinformer.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.19.50/3755.Brute.jpg"><img style="float:left;" src="http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/200x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.19.50/3755.Brute.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Brute Splicers protect Holloway as we make our way closer to her location. This is the first time we&rsquo;re able to face off against the Brute. These guys were part of a genetic experiment that seemed to involve an overdose of SportBoost tonic. The Brutes are swift despite their size and make excellent use of the environment. They will pick up and hurl just about anything within arm&rsquo;s length. It takes a solid amount of hits and strategy to bring these beasts down. These encounters are on par with Big Daddy confrontations, except that their offense consists primarily of melee attacks.</p>
<p>When we came across our first Brute Splicer, we received a primer on the Research Camera that has been enhanced with video recording capabilities for the sequel. Start rolling the camera, then quickly fire weapons and Plasmids at your subject to study their attacks as you engage them in battle. To further mix things up, in order to research an already recorded adversary, you&rsquo;ll have to switch your combat tactics to earn proper credit. In other words, you can&rsquo;t defeat the enemy the same way twice. Not only does this help keep things fresh, but also earns major rewards to help defeat the enemy type in the future once enough research credit is earned.</p>
<p>In addition to changes to the Research Camera, we found differences in weapon upgrades as well. During our playthrough we found enough Power to the People machines to fully upgrade our Rivet Gun. Instead of just earning increased power, the fully upgraded Rivet also has the power to set enemies ablaze after multiple shots, similar to Incinerate. We&rsquo;re curious as to what additional features other weapons will have when fully upgraded.</p>
<p>One new weapon we were able to pick up that is by far the most satisfying is the Spear Gun. Aim the weapon at a Splicer at the proper trajectory and give it a shot. The spear will then impale the Splicer, pinning them to a wall. Need more ammo? Approach the hanging Splicer to reclaim your bloodied spear for later use. We need everything we can get to make it out alive.</p>
<p>As we got closer to Holloway&rsquo;s hideout, we navigated dark, narrow hallway passages with just a gleam of guiding light (obviously inspired by survival horror titles) and were surrounded with unsettling ambient noise. You&rsquo;ll hear rumbling of Splicers or the sound of falling objects that have been knocked down by an unknown force around you. There was no telling when a Splicer playing dead on the floor would spring to life and attack. We admit it. We were afraid. Opening each door in that dark hall was a gamble, and the ambient noises certainly didn&rsquo;t help. </p>
<p>Once we finally found our way toward the light we were in Holloway&rsquo;s quarters. This was our next face-to-face interaction with a non-spliced character. The elderly, unarmed woman taunts you at which point you have the option to kill her for the override key, or spare her life and allow her to continue business as usual. We won&rsquo;t tell you what decision we made, but our actions affected the remainder of our playthrough. </p></div></div><script type="text/javascript">PaginateGrid();</script><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=161483" width="1" height="1">GIAnnettehttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIAnnette/default.aspxBioShock 2: Hands-On Impressions/games/bioshock_2/b/xbox360/archive/2009/12/21/bioshock-2-hands-on-impressions-single-and-multiplayer.aspx2009-12-21T17:00:00Z2009-12-21T17:00:00Z<div class="paginated-post" rel="3"><div class="paginated-post-page" rel="1"><p><img src="http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.19.50/7485.diving-board.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>During our first trip to Rapture we merely got a taste of what it would be like to become a Big Daddy. In BioShock 2 the team behind the original&rsquo;s Fort Frolic level, 2K Marin, have placed us in the diving suit of Subject Delta, the first Big Daddy, who has awakened after 10 years of unconsciousness. We recently spent a few hours in the post-Ryan underwater dystopia and can assure you that things have certainly changed. </p>
<p>Our latest visit to Rapture starts off at Adonis Luxury Resort, a once fabulous spa turned nightmare as heavily mutated Splicers destroy each other, and the environment, for Adam. Delta lies in a puddle near a Vita-Chamber and is awakened by the voice of Tenenbaum, who asks us to perform a few simple tasks. This level serves as a training ground for newcomers and a refresher course for players of the original. </p>
<p>One of our first tasks is to find a Plasmid. We use our drill to break past a barrier keeping us from the Gatherer&rsquo;s Garden. As we approach the machine we see only the eyes of a girl followed by her voice. It&rsquo;s Eleanor, one of Rapture&rsquo;s sisters who is bonded to Delta and desperately needs you to find her. Our overarching goal in the preview build is to find Eleanor, but first we must complete other goals to progress. Audio diaries reveal Eleanor <i>Lamb</i> has ties to Rapture&rsquo;s leader and Delta&rsquo;s antagonist, Sofia Lamb, but little information has been revealed on how Delta and the Lamb&rsquo;s are connected. </p>
<p>Eleanor leaves us a little gift at the Gatherer&rsquo;s Garden&mdash;Electro Bolt. As we turn around a Little Sister tells us Delta has been sleeping a long time. &ldquo;Eleanor misses you,&rdquo; she says as a Big Sister runs past and knocks the little one down.</p>
<p>Our next task is to use the new Plasmid to power up a generator. Once we find the rusted machine and spark it up, the darkened rooms of Adonis light up while an old school lounge music plays in the background. Tenenbaum asks that we meet up with her at the Atlantic Train Station. </p>
<p>En route to the station we find an audio diary from Tenenbaum that reveals the reasoning for her return to Rapture. With the disappearance of children around the Atlantic she suspects someone may be trying to continue the work she regretfully started and wants to put a stop to it. </p>
<p>Up to this point we were only armed with the drill and Electro Bolt. While exploring Adonis&rsquo; various rooms, we find our first ranged weapon, the Rivet Gun, then enter a large room with a Little Sister gathering Adam from a Splicer&rsquo;s corpse. She warns us of the wrath of Big Sister, and just like that, the twiggy, metallic beast unleashes an ear-piercing shriek just as she ambushes our Big Daddy. We hit her with the Rivet Gun and send shockwaves with Electro Bolt, but were no match for the Big Sister. She drains us of all our health and resources leaving us with just enough to live before she disappears. </p>
<p>In BioShock 2, damage is indicated by blood splatter on the sides of the screen that will remain until you find a health item. Thankfully the previous battle unearthed health and other replenishing items across the room. We were now prepared to follow the tiny terror and finish what we started. </p></div></div><script type="text/javascript">PaginateGrid();</script><img src="https://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=137180" width="1" height="1">GIAnnettehttps://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIAnnette/default.aspx